Air Force

Air Force general explains force structure decisions to Congress

Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, speaks with Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, the Adjutant General, Washington, and commander of all Washington Army and Air National Guard forces, prior to a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Air Force aircraft force structure reductions, in Washington, D.C., July 12, 2012,

The Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs testified on proposed force structure changes before the House Armed Services Committee July 12.

Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller answered questions from members of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness on proposed budget cuts and realignments of Air Force aircraft and personnel.

“In both the near term and the future, Air Force leadership is responsible for building an Air Force that advantages American and ensures success in meeting any challenge we’re asked to overcome,” Miller said. “Difficult choices had ot be made in the budget.”

The Air Force’s fiscal 2013 budget request took care to ensure the proper mix of air, space and cyberspace assets to ensure support is and will be in place to support the service’s commitment to the new defense strategic guidance and is fiscally in line with the Budget Control Act, Miller said.

He reiterated Air Force decisions were strategy driven and work was done to balance the force to ensure proper deployment-to-home-station dwell ratios for the active and reserve component better aligned with Department of Defense deployment guidelines.

“[For] an active duty airman, the standard is to deploy one period deployed for every two non-deployed,” Miller said. Guard and Reserve; one period deployed for five non-deployed. And so the active duty force is expected to perform at a higher rate of deployment.”

When reduction decisions were made, Miller said, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve leadership were involved in deciding where adjustments needed to be made in regards to realigning assets.

“We are a total force, and we are deeply, irrevocably and successfully integrated. We are committed to staying that way,” Miller said. “We are also committed to building an Air Force that continues to reflect air, space and cyber capabilities that fundamentally depend on the effective employment of appropriately organized, trained and equipped active, Guard and Reserve airmen.”

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